Nars Pierre Hardy collaboration includes six sets of nail polish colors ($29 per set) that are pre-coordinated for your tips and toes. These are fun for summer, when sandal season brings our bright-colored nails out in the open. These bottles are marked as containing 0.5 ozs., and are packed in shoe-box styled packaging that includes a little shoe-type dust bag, all of which evoke Hardy’s core reputation as a shoe designer.
Taking the shoe theme on step further, each bottle has a theme with each bottle named “left” or “right.” How you choose to wear the colors is, of course, entirely up to you. I love the concept, and it’s as well-executed as any that I’ve seen.
Here’s an overview of all pairs, each swatched with two coats on my nails. All nail pictures were taken with a top coat (Dior Gel Coat), unless otherwise noted.
Liz’s favorite is Nars Pierre Hardy in Sharks. The yellow and lavender combination is perfect for Spring. The yellow has a lot of white in it, so it keeps the color from going too warm. I have yet to meet a yellow nail color that applies easily, but this one isn’t bad. I used the trick where I apply plenty of polish, and try to avoid having the brush touch the nail. In other words, just let the brush skate over the polish, almost like spreading frosting on a cake. This is three coats of the yellow. The lavender applied beautifully in two coats with no problems.
My favorite is Ethno Run. I love this vibrant orange (which looks amazing when wearing blues, beiges, and other cool-to-gray tones). Both apply beautifully in two coats. I used a base coat (Essie’s) with the blue, because blues can stain a bit. By the way, if a blue does stain your nails, there’s an easy fix. After removal, and freaking out about my stained nails, I apply a sheer and then remove the sheer with my standard nail polish remover. Violá–the stain is gone.
I hope Ethno Run never sells out. I love the blue on fingers and the orange on toes. This combination is so vibrant– I just love it.
Sharplines is a highly wearable combination of peach and burgundy. It’s hard to go wrong with this pair–the soft peach is work-appropriate, and of course burgundy is accepted as a neutral. This is very flattering on a wide variety of skintones.
As with most of the other shades, Sharplines has a beautiful formula. The burgundy floats on in two coats, but I couldn’t seen a nail line after one. The coral is not too warm, it’s pretty flattering and lighter in tone. Nars definitely has its nail formula down to a science.
Like Sharplines, Vertebra is as classic as a pair of pumps. The coral is an easy-to-wear classic, and the taupe is a pretty, neutral with a touch of rose. Both are the very good Nars cream formula.
Easy Walking is a cream camel and a metallic rose gold. The camel formula is another excellent cream, easy to apply in two coats. The metallic is a pretty, warm and complex version of Nars metallic formulas. If you’re familiar with them, you know that they are highly pigmented and can do well in one coat. They are bit like a liquid metal–they sort of meld onto the nail quickly.
Venomous is black/silver combination that is exclusive to Nars boutiques and Nars Comsetics online. The black has a slight fleck that’s only visible in very strong sunlight. The metallic has the same liquid metal formula as the rose gold in Easy Walking.
Overall, these sets are a nice refresher for summer color, and most sets will carry you well through next winter. If you’ve ever wondered about best combinations for hands and toes, these sets make the decision foolproof. Generally speaking, the formulas are excellent. For more about this collaboration, see Barney’s The Window:
These sets are available on Nars Cosmetics.com (including Venemous), Nordstrom.com, Sephora.com, and Barneys New York.com.
This post includes affiliate links (for more information, see About Cafe Makeup). Nars sent the Nars Pierre Hardy sets to Cafe Makeup without charge for consideration for review.
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